Beijing Wangfujing Dawan Hotel

Finally I landed in Beijing after a 14 hour flight from New York. The time was exactly 12 hours ahead here. I was picked up at the airport and taken to my hotel. Unfortunately I made reservations for the next five nights, but I had forgotten to make it for tonight. It was no big deal other than the fact that they didn't speak any English. Nobody in this country seems to speak English for that matter. I was so tired but tried to stay up until the early evening. I walked along Wangfujing and la...

My first tour left my hotel at 7:20AM. I met a mother and son from India that I talked with most of theday. There was also a friendly couple from Moscow. Our first stop was the Ming Tombs. At a distance of 50 km northwest of Beijing stands an arc-shaped cluster of hills fronted by a small plain. Here is where 13 emperors of the Ming dynasty (1368-1644) were buried, and the area is known as the Ming Tombs. Construction of the tombs started in 1409 and ended with the fall of the Ming Dynasty in...

I was picked up at 8AM for today's tour. The mother and son from India were there again so it was nice to see a familiar face and have someone to talk to throughout the day. Our first stop was the Forbidden City. It was absolutely impressive!! First, it was just a thrill to be in a place that was the home to 34 emperors of China. Even a century ago the entire country was closed to foreigners and so to be in the Forbidden City which was realy exclusive was quite a thrill!! I was shocked at how...

In my tour today I toured with an Asian American family from the United States so even though they spoke English I stood out even more! The tour started today at the Beijing Zoo. At present, the zoo houses over 7,000 creatures of 600 different species, including the giant panda, red-crowned crane and Pere David's deer-all unique to China-as well as the African giraffe, rhinoceros, chimpanzee and antelope; American continent; wild ox from Europe; and elephant and gibbon from India. However, we...

I was picked upat 7:20AM today and had one guy, A.J., from Toronto and two women from Germany joining me. We began the day with a 2 hour drive to the Mutianyu Great Wall. The drive was great because it went through numerous small towns and farms that provided great scenary. The absolute best part of the day was the weather!!! Today was the very first time in Beijing that I actually saw BLUE sky and it was actually all blue today!!! Therefore the drive afforded me views of the mountains. Final...

Today I was on my own in Beijing. For the first time I slept in late and watched Nertherlands lose in the EuroCup. Eventually I ventured out of my hotel for what would be five hours of walking the streets of Beijing. I have no idea how many miles I went but I am sure it was quite a bit. The furthest point I reached from my hotel was Ditan Park. On my way back toward my hotel I stopped at a computer place. I don't know what else to call it. It is not a cafe, and basically I am the only one usi...

I woke up at 10AM and called Diana. Then I watched Italy defeat Spain in the EuroCup. At noon I checked out of my hotel and stored two bags there. Like yesterday, I spent the next five hours walking the streets of Beijing. I am proud to say that of all the places I wanted to go to today I found them perfectly on my own by foot. My first stop was Jingshan Park. I am so happy that I stopped there. The park gate is across the street from the back gate of the Forbidden City. Inside I walked throu...

We only stayed in Beijing because we didn't have enough time to explore the rest of the huge country. I would like to go back some day but not go to Beijing...there are way too many people. We saw the Great Wall, the Summer Palace, Tiananmen Square, the Forbidden city and other small things along the way.

Beijing Olympic Green - Bird Nest National Stadium (北京国家߮ 7;育场－鸟ð 34;), Water Cube National Aquatic Centre (北京国家ଅ 6;泳中心－ĕ 00;立方), Mongolia Hotpot (北京友仁ऺ 1;涮羊肉), Peking Duck (北京烤鸭 － 鸭王王府井 ;店)